I'm too young for this, aren't I?
I just realised my knee has been hurting for over three months now and I'm not sure what to do. I didn't do anything to injure it, that I know of. I just woke up one morning with it feeling weird and like I needed to stretch. I assumed I'd just slept on it funny and went about my day normally, including going to the gym, but it started actually hurting after that. I saw a primary care person after about a month. She had no idea and sent me to an orthopaedic doctor. He seemed kind of annoyed that she hadn't had any idea and gave me some exercises to do. The exercises helped a bit, but it still hurt when I walked much so I went back 6 or 7 weeks later. The orthopaedic doctor sent me to get an MRI on my knee.
When I went back to the orthopaedic doctor to get the MRI results he said it was good news. There was nothing wrong with my knee at all. He said something about how knees just hurt sometimes and told me to go ahead and use the bikes or elliptical machines as he was walking out the door. I was unfortunately too unassertive to call him back once I realised that he wasn't going to tell me anything I could do about the pain.
I thought maybe it would just eventually stop hurting on its own if I kept doing the exercises so I've been ignoring it and started going to the gym again. I thought maybe that was working, since my knee doesn't actually hurt while exercising. I was still always conscious of it and careful with how I moved, though. Today, it's back to actually being painful and I'm not sure what to do.
I kind of feel like I shouldn't be complaining because it's not very painful and I have a hard time describing how it feels. There must be something wrong, though, for it to hurt for months. I don't want to go back to the orthopaedic doctor because he always made me feel like I was wasting his time and there wasn't anything structurally wrong, according to the x-rays and MRI. I guess I'll try going back to primary care and seeing if there's anyone else they can send me to. Anyone have any better ideas?
posted by Lucy @ 1:28 AM
7
comments
7 Comments:
Maybe a physical therapist would be helpful?
my husband has horrible knees and has for a number of years now--and he's only 34. His doctor has him taking glucosamine, which you can get as a dietary supplement over the counter. That seems to help with the pain. The other thing that helps is actually biking. If the muscles are strong, especially just above the knee, he says it hurts less.
the doctor says the only other thing to think about is eventual knee replacement but no way is he doing that any time soon.
Orthopaedists are well known for being arrogant jerks. So don't feel alone in that experience, at least.
Definitely try to get referred to a physical therapist -- they may be able to give you exercises more specific to the problem than your primary care doctor.
Wait until you start losing your teeth, have weird hairs start to sprout from your body, and find yourself always shaking your fist at teenagers...
(Seriously though, sorry it hurts. Sometimes weird aches and pains come and go, so I'm hoping it will get better of its own accord.
Do any of your friends have a good chiropractor they like? I have had good experiences with mine for pain and pain management of my entire body including knees after my car accident. Most health insurance plans now cover chiropractic care.
Considering the fact that I'm in my 20s and have had hip problems for years, I don't know that there's such a thing as "too young for this." But I'm sorry that you're having knee problems, Lucy. They suck and get in the way of everything.
The ideas of physio or chiropractor are good ones. Is there the possibility that you need orthotics?
Thanks for the advice! I've been putting off calling back because I'm worried about them thinking I'm making it up or whinging or something... It hasn't been hurting too much, though.
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